STUDENTS FORCED TO KEEP DREAMING

Jefferson’s unalienable rights ignored, DREAM Act stalled

All documented citizens are created equal.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Thomas Jefferson’s vision of equality and justice in the Declaration of Independence should hold true no matter the time or place. It should also apply to anyone within the borders of the U.S., not only those who were born within them.

Last week, the DREAM Act, or Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, which would have allowed young people who were brought to the U.S. as undocumented children before the age of 16 to earn legal status upon graduating high school or earning a G.E.D. by enrolling in an institute of higher learning or serving in the armed forces, was struck down.

A Senate filibuster hindered the passage of the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, a piece of legislation that included both the DREAM Act and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

On Sept. 21, inequality prevailed over equality; inaction prevailed over action; injustice prevailed over justice.

Each year 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools and would be eligible to benefit from the DREAM Act. Congress, however, effectively denied these young people the opportunity to contribute all that they can to society.  Upon graduation, these individuals are left with very few options since they are legally unable to work in the U.S., encounter barriers to higher education and are at constant risk for deportation to an unfamiliar country, despite the fact that most have called America home since fore the majority of their lives. These students may be undocumented and not seen from a legal standpoint as American citizens, but the fact of the matter remains: these individuals belong here.

While opponents of the DREAM Act believe that immigrants pose a strain on tax payers, once educated legal residents, they will earn higher incomes and therefore be able to pay more in taxes, which in turn can help boost the U.S. economy.

Allowing undocumented individuals to attend college and become legal citizens would be mutually beneficial to both the individuals and America. The individuals would be better able to contribute to American society. The U.S. would benefit from the knowledge and skills these students give in their contributions.

To qualify for the DREAM Act, undocumented individuals must have lived in the U.S. for at least five consecutive years before the bill would have gone into effect. In theory, this would mean a minimum of five years of education gained from the U.S. school systems where these students learn about American language, culture and politics. In this sense, these students are raised as Americans, so why are they not allowed the opportunity to earn legal status?

The passage of the DREAM Act would have been a step in the right direction for building policies that further the pursuit of liberty and justice, instead of building walls and creating division.

In a social climate rife with polar opposites, we need to remember that we are all in this together. Equally.